


By Your Side

by irond0rkness



Series: Solar's IronStrange Week 2019 [4]
Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Established Relationship, Everyone Is Alive, Hospitals, M/M, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Stephen Strange Wants To Give Him The Hug, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Unconsciousness, i make my own canon marvel havent u heard how alive tony is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-23
Updated: 2019-05-23
Packaged: 2020-03-13 05:42:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18934630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/irond0rkness/pseuds/irond0rkness
Summary: Tony was injured in a battle and to keep him company when he wakes, Stephen Strange stays by his side.





	By Your Side

The steady beeping of the machines was daring to lull Stephen into a deep and much-needed sleep. The battle had been long and exhausting, leaving most of the team in a zombie-like state, ready to hop into bed any moment. Most of them did do that, but not Stephen.

Tony had been shot down from the sky, the armor breaking due to both the blast and the impact from the landing. Some of it had embedded itself into his flesh, requiring the medics to dig it out. After hours of surgery, Stephen was finally let into the hospital room where he had stayed until now.

There was no chance of Tony waking up right now, yet he stayed there. It was illogical and stupid, but he wanted to keep the man company. Once again he had been the hero and again, he got injured. Stephen wished that he would never have to get hurt again but unfortunately in their line of work that would have been impossible.

Being a superhero meant that every now and then they would be in a hospital, either as the one lying in a bed or as the one watching over them like a hawk, ready to act the moment anything changed for the better or the worse. This time, that job had been left for Stephen, his blue eyes scanning over Tony's body again and again, noting the deep purple bruises that had formed on his face and every part of him that wasn't covered by the hospital gown that he was wearing at the moment.

He smiled bitterly. Tony hated those gowns, cursing them every time he woke up and saw himself in one and got out of them as soon as he was allowed to. 

Stephen as well hated them, mostly due to how sickly and small his boyfriend looked in them and that every time Tony had to wear one he looked like he was on the brink of death and so pale. He hated seeing him injured.

They could have had a wonderful day today, they had planned a lovely dinner for just the two of them. It would have been beautiful, they could have danced together after reaching home after leaving the restaurant. 

Oh, how he loved dancing with Tony! They were both adept dancers, but he enjoyed the way the man could make him twirl around on the dance floor and make him feel like the luckiest man on earth and all the galaxy. 

His cloak was getting restless from the sitting, wanting to wrap itself around the unconscious man lying on the bed and hugging him even though Stephen had told him multiple times not to do it. So, like the obedient cloak they were from time to time, they stayed away and instead tried to comfort Strange, their red fabric wound around him tightly yet not uncomfortably so.

Tony loved the cloak with all his heart, he loved teasing Stephen about it and "stealing" Cloakie from him just to fly around with them himself. Cloakie adored Tony as well even though they clearly favored Stephen if someone asked, which nobody did due to them being a sentient cloak and not exactly a person. Cloakie was worried about Tony as well but they knew that getting injured in fights was a part of his job and he would come back once and every time. 

In an hour, the Sorcerer Supreme was asleep, his grime-covered head resting on the front of his equally dirty robes, having not bothered to change into anything else after the battle.

When he woke, the rays of the sun were no longer illuminating the room and night had fallen upon the city. His crystal blue eyes scanned the room before falling on Tony's sleeping form. He was relieved that everything seemed fine yet an illogical and nagging part of him was sad because he hadn't woken up yet. He wanted to hug and kiss the man, to just be able to talk to him, not have to stare at him uneasily, waiting for him to wake up, not wanting to miss the moment he did.

Stephen wrung his hands together and decided to leave for some time. Staying here only made him bored and made him notice every detail about Tony, from his injuries to the adorable barely noticeable freckles on the top of his cheeks.

He needed a shower, the usually flowy robes now sticking to him and dried dirt coming off of it and falling to the ground every time he took a step. Not wishing to stay away from Tony for long, he spun his hand and created a portal to his bathroom.

A good soak was all it took to get his mind off of Tony and his current condition, the warm water taking the thoughts down the drain with it. He chose soft, comfortable clothes, sliding them onto his now clean skin. 

Stephen had always favored comfort, even when he was still a rich surgeon and often wore glamorous suits. He did like the suits but not as much as Tony did. The man wore suits as if they were a second skin, both cloth and gold-titanium alloy ones. They gave the man an aura of power, a slight edge of danger that intimidated anyone who dared to stand against him.

What Stephen loved more than Tony in a suit was Tony in a tank top, his powerful muscles flexing whenever he moved. The tank always seemed just a bit too small for him, outlining the still covered flesh which made Stephen's mouth dry by just thinking about it. He took a deep breath, willed those thoughts away and created a portal back to the hospital room.

The cloak had been waiting for him there and now wrapped around him once again. He sighed when he saw that Tony was still lying there, not showing any signs of waking up. The sorcerer took a seat next to him, brushed the hair from his face and waited once again.

It had been hours and the sun was once again about to rise, painting the sky in a thousand different colors.

"Tony, please wake up," he pleaded softly, his fingers barely brushing his hospital gown. He knew that it was pointless, waiting for a long time to have the man wake up next to him. Stephen didn't want him to be scared when he regained consciousness and found himself in a strange place, he wished to be there for him.

Tony's eyelids fluttered slightly, setting Stephen on edge.

His confused eyes opened slowly and a slight smile twitched on his face as soon as he saw Stephen, his now open eyes glittering in the morning sun. His mouth moved a bit as if he was trying to form words.

"Don't try to speak, Tony. You're safe, you can rest," Stephen spoke, treading his hand through his soft brown hair.

The man seemed to understand it so his eyes began to close once more, lowering the man to sleep. The sorcerer smiled when he saw that Tony no longer looked pale and sick, the deep wrinkles slightly smoothed off by the sleep.

With the man asleep, Strange knew that he had to stay on guard once again for the man he cared the most about. He wasn't going to let anything happen to him on his watch.


End file.
